Guest Author: A Cry of desperation from Christchurch

–  Sarah O’Brien

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I spoke to my father (84 yrs old) and asked.. ‘are you going to watch Hope & Wire”?

His response… ‘No, it hardly represents what the people here are still going through. It misrepresents Christchurch all together, and the language is unacceptable.  All this intermittant rubbish the writer has crammed into it… represents us as a group of badly educated, sex driven white supremists’!!!

YES.. I couldn’t agree more…

Having now lived through over 13000 earthquakes, and dealing on a daily basis with my own paper war to have my insurance contract with IAG (via the ASB) honoured, living with black mold in the ceilings, no carpet, gib off bedroom & living room walls and having had raw sewerage in the house for 2 years as EQC refused to fix this under ’emergency repairs’ (while my insurers didnt want to know until I was deemed ‘Over cap with EQC, not able to get it fixed myself or ‘I’d loose my insurance claim’!!!)’.

Now I witness see daily ‘fletchered cosmetic repairs failing’, and elderly / disable persons having to shift from their homes for the 2nd or 3rd time, as their floor boards were ‘propped up’ (Jack and Packed) with bits of MDF / Malamine / Gib board and even an old chair leg!!!

Entry doors and windows still cannot be secured, water ingress every time it rains, and drive / pathways inaccessible to those who are elderly or disabled in small ways.

Why?? Because Gerry & his army of twats has decided its OK for up to 20% of structural repairs (replacement of piles) under houses , are able to be completed without consent!!!!! Therefore, we have cowboys being paid millions and their work is not requiring council building inspection!!!! Is this what our insurance is paying for???

YES: the government led (CERA) Fletcher repair scheme has cost the taxpayers three times more than it ever should, caused hundreds of deaths, illness (mental and physical), and this whole Government orchistrated genocide and complete ignoring of the plight of the Christchurch people is criminal….

But do YOU know how I felt at the end of Hope & Wire??

I shed a blubbery tear and felt…

BUGGER YOU NEW ZEALAND. ALL YOU SO CALLED FELLOW COUNTRYMEN & WOMAN. JUST BUGGER YOU ALL.

Why???

Because I have pleaded with you all to listen, protest, become involved and support us.. You get out there to save the dolphins. You rally to stop fracking. You rally to have emergency houses built in Auckland. You rally to help North Island flood victims or Wellington storm / earthquake victims.. you rally to stop wars in other countries.

Yet you leave the victims of this city for four years to survive sub-zer0 degree nights, relentless floods, living in 3rd world conditions. Many still living in tents and garages…. and STILL STUCK WITH EQC / FLETCHERS AND INSURERS STAFF WHO RELENTLESSLY BULLY AND THREATEN ELDERLY AND VULNERABLE VICTIMS OF THIS. OUR NATIONS TRAVESTY.

Yes… BUGGER YOU. If this was rugby… another springbok event.. would you take a day off work and protest??? THIS IS GENOCIDE HERE!! WAKE UP!!!

Sarah O’Brien
Christchurch resident, July 2014

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Previous related blogposts

Interview: Angie, the Earthquake Angel

A tale of two tragedies

Additional

Fairfax media: Christchurch rent crisis ‘best left to market’

The Christchurch Fiasco : the Insurance Aftershock and its Implications for New Zealand and Beyond

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Above image acknowledgment: Francis Owen/Lurch Left Memes

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Letter to the Editor – the Royal Visit and endless photo ops for Dear Leader

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From a Radio NZ report,

The Royal visit cost several hundred thousand dollars more than the Government originally said it did.

The Duke and Duchess visited eight centres, and the Department of Internal Affairs said that cost taxpayers just over $1 million.

But that figure did not take into account the costs for other government departments, such as police, Defence, Tourism New Zealand and Customs. With those costs included, the ten-day visit cost about $1.7 million.

The group New Zealand Republic said it expects the final bill to climb further, to more than $2 million.

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My views on this…

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FROM:   "f.macskasy" 
SUBJECT: Letter to the Editor
DATE:    Sun, 13 Jul 2014 14:28:01 +1200
TO:     "The Dominion Post" <letters@dompost.co.nz> 

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The editor
DOMINION POST

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Sir/madam,

A recent Radio NZ report stated that the recent Royal Visit
cost cost-payers $1.7 million - with the final bill from
other government departments pushing the final amount well
over $2 million.

This is money that could have been invested in alleviating
child poverty, buying extra hip-operations, or cleaning up
this country's  many spoiled, polluted water-ways.

Considering that Dear Leader John Key maximised publicity
opportunities for the National Party,  by inserting himself
in as many photo-ops as possible, perhaps the $2 million
could be deducted from National's tax-payer funded
allocation  for political parties' TV and radio advertising?

That might balance out the ledger somewhat.

Children living in poverty and elderly needing
hip-replacement operations would be very appreciative.

After all, National does believe in user pays, does it not?


-Frank Macskasy

[address & phone number supplied]

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Or maybe there’s nothing to this?

After all, how many photo-ops could Dear Leader possibly insert himself into…?

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Oh.

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References

Radio NZ:  Royal visit a $68m advert for tourism

NZ Herald: Advertising funding down for Nats, Labour; up for Greens, NZ First

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Above image acknowledgment: Francis Owen/Lurch Left Memes

This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 14 July 2014.

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